Free Reign
by AllenCodd
Summary: It's The Stable Boy but happy this time and a Hallmark horse girl movie wahoo
1. Chapter 1

**CH 1: The Beginning**

Regina woke up with a smile on her face. She knew that this morning was her horse-riding lesson, and there was nothing she loved more than horses. She wasn't sure who her new teacher was going to be, her mother had recently fired the previous one, and she was excited to find out if they were going to be as kind as her last instructor. Regina hopped out of bed and put on her riding outfit as quickly as she could and rushed down the stairs.

"No running down the stairs, how many times have I had to tell you?" Cora, her mother, boomed from downstairs.

"I'm sorry mother, I promise not to do it again!" Regina resumed her journey outside.

Regina finally got to the stables and began to brush her precious horse, Rocinante. She loved him so much, he was her one escape from the hell she lived in. When she was with him, most of her stress went away.

"Wow! You've already started getting ready for your lessons! I thought I'd be the first one here" Daniel exclaimed as he walked into the stable, approaching Regina.

Regina jumped a little upon Daniel's arrival, "Oh! You scared me a little, sorry! Well, I do like to arrive early to the stables, it is my favorite thing to do after all, I love my horse so much! His name is Rocinante! My Daddy got him for me when I was little and I have raised him since he was a young foal! He was so cute when he was little, - Oh I am rambling a little, sorry! I apologize for distracting you." Regina looked down, embarrassed.

"Oh no! It's fine, it's great that you have such an attachment to your horse! Let's go ahead and get started on your lesson." Daniel suggested. 

"Yes! That's a wonderful idea!" Regina jumped onto her horse and rode him out of the stable and onto the training course that her father had built for her.

Regina felt free as she guided Rocinante through the course, and although she was a bit flustered due to Daniel's presence, she still felt that she was performing excellently. That was until she got distracted looking into Daniel's perfect eyes and missed the upcoming jump. Rocinante tripped over the hay, causing Regina to tumble off of the horse and onto the muddy grass. 

"Regina! Are you okay? You were doing so well, what happened?" Daniel ran over to her, nervous that she had hurt herself.

"Oh no, I'm alright. No need to worry, I just, um, got distracted for a bit." Regina let out a nervous giggle as Daniel helped her get up from the ground. She looked down, and noticed that her formerly pristine riding suit was now covered in mud and dirt. "Oh my gosh! My mother will kill me if she sees me in this state!" Regina exclaimed.

"Why? She knows you're at a riding lesson, won't she expect you to come back a little dirty" Daniel was very confused.

"No, you don't understand! She expects everything to be perfect. Since I already technically know how to ride a horse, she now expects that I will never fall off and that the lessons are only for perfecting my form. She doesn't even know that I was doing jumps today, I promised her that I would stop riding 'like a man'. The only time I am allowed to do that is when I am with Daddy, when she won't find out. Oh, I'm rambling again, sorry!" Regina was now in a state of panic. 

"Don't worry! She doesn't need to find out"

"Wait, what?! How? Don't you see my outfit?!"

"You have other riding outfits, Just quickly put one of those on and I will take this one with me back to my room, where I will clean it with my clothing."

"Are you sure? My mother has a way of finding out anything" 

"Yeah, don't worry, I'll stand outside the stable and when you're finished, hand me the dirty outfit, I don't want you getting in any trouble, especially not after your first lesson"

"And you don't mind?"

"Don't mind what?"

"Washing my clothes, I feel terrible for making you do that for me"

"Regina, you're not making me do anything, it's okay, I promise!"

Daniel could tell that Regina was panicking and he wanted to do anything to make her feel better. Even though they had just met, there was a sort of connection between them. Neither of them really knew it yet, but they were each other's true loves.

Over the next few years, the two of them grew closer. Daniel was able to get Cora to extend the time allotted for their lessons because "Regina is making so much progress on her ladylike form and the hour and a half long lesson isn't enough for her to improve as much as she can"

Daniel and Regina would spend the first hour practicing form and the "fun stuff" as Regina called it: jumping and racing against Daniel and his horse. The latter hour was spent riding off into the forest towards Firefly Hill, where Daniel would prepare a small picnic for them. They would quickly eat together and watch the sunset until the many fireflies would come out and light up the area. They would then ride back together, and Regina would go back inside for her family meal. Everything was working out perfectly, Regina and Daniel began to fall in love and Cora didn't suspect a thing. At least that's what they had thought.

Cora realized that there was something going on between the two of them and she wasn't sure what, but she was positive that whatever it was wasn't good for her daughter. Her daughter was destined to be queen, and she would not be wasting her time with some stable boy. In order to prevent their bubbling romance, she moved Regina's lessons to take place right before her afternoon tea, knowing that her daughter would never risk being late to that. With this, Regina would no longer have time to develop feelings for this boy.

Even with this new schedule Regina and Daniel still found time to see each other though, and they were positive that nothing Cora could ever do would get in their way.


	2. Chapter 2

**CH 2: Further Lessons**

Regina awoke on Wednesday morning, ready to attend her lesson with Daniel. They had planned on riding all the way to Firefly Hill for a surprise he had been planning. He had told her about this plan months ago, and Regina had been looking forward to it ever since. She got dressed in her riding clothes, and practically glided down the stairs in excitement. When she got to the stables, Daniel was already there with Rocinante mounted and ready to go.

"Daniel! I have been looking forward to this day for ages!"

"Hold on Regina, your father would like to see your progress."

"But we're still going to Firefly Hill, right?"

"Yes, don't worry we will! But after your lessons."

"But Daniel, I cannot wait too long. I've been looking forward to this for so long! I've been practically dying of old age while waiting for this day."

"Don't stress yourself out, the plans have not been cancelled. At least _not yet" _

"YOU WOULDN'T DARE"

"Relax! I'm only joking! Now go and get ready for your lesson"

"Alright, I love y- Horses, I love horses." 

"_Why did I almost tell him that I love him!? And I covered it by saying that I LOVE HORSES! I must've sounded like such a fool_" Regina thought to herself as she walked towards Rocinante.

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As Regina rode her horse throughout the yard, she effortlessly jumped over the bales of hay. Her father, Henry, watched her proudly from the sidelines.

"Yes! That's beautiful, sweetheart." Henry gave his daughter a hug and a kiss on her head.

"Oh, thank you, Daddy" Regina loved her father so much, and it made her very happy that her father was proud of her talent.

Unbeknownst to Regina, her mother had been watching her as well.

"Beautiful? I'd hardly call that beautiful." She scoffed,

"You didn't like it, mother?"

"Of course not, you ride like a man. A lady should be graceful. You should use a saddle."

Regina chuckled, "Don't worry we were just having a bit of fun!"

"You're getting a little old for fun. Who's going to want to marry you when you behave like a commoner?"

Henry stepped closer to Cora, "Leave her alone"

"Stop coddling her. She's becoming an old maid. All the other girls her age are married. I had such high hopes for her future." Cora gave her daughter a dirty look.

Daniel stepped forward, he noticed that tensions were rising between the family, "Milady, perhaps this saddle might-"

"I'm done riding for the day." She led her horse to Daniel. As she did so, she shot Daniel a mean look, "And don't ever interrupt me and my mother again." Of course, this made her mother proud, and Daniel disappointedly walked the horse back to the stables. 

"Mother, why do you always have to criticize me?"

"I'm not criticizing you. I'm helping you."

"I just want to be myself!" Regina protested.

"Oh, but you can be _so_ much more—if you'd just let me help you."

"I know you want me to succeed in life by raising my status and becoming queen, but I don't care about any of that. I just want to be -"

"REGINA! Do not speak to me that way!" Cora yelled.

"I'm sorry mother, I'll be good." Regina ducked her head down and slowly walked back to the stables.

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Regina walked into the stables and noticed Daniel sadly cleaning off Rocinante.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you out there." Regina slowly approached him, worried about how she had acted earlier and hoping that Daniel would accept her apology.

"That's all right, I guess you'll just have to find a way to make it up to me" He leaned in closer to Regina and kissed her, making her smile.


End file.
